Lake-effect snow to blast Great Lakes snow belt into the weekend

By Courtney Spamer, Meteorologist

February 10,2016; 7:27PM,EST

 

 

Conditions in the Great Lakes area will bring the chance for lake-effect snow through the end of the week, threatening low visibility and dangerous travel conditions.
A storm exiting New England will bring cool winds over the Great Lakes, sparking the start of several days of lake-effect snow.

Late in the week, arctic air will sweep from Canada over the Great Lakes, sending single-digit temperatures into the Midwest and Northeast in time for Valentine's Day weekend.
Winds through Thursday will start off coming from the northwest. But by the end of the week, the push of arctic air will shift winds into a more northerly direction. Before the shift in the wind, some places downwind of the lakes could have up to a foot of snow.

"The shift in winds will move the heaviest bands of snow farther south and west on Friday night and Saturday," AccuWeather Meteorologist Steve Travis said.
Places that missed much of the lake-effect snow earlier in the week could face some of the heaviest snow.
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Travel delays are likely from I-90 around Rochester, New York, as well as along the highway through Erie and into Cleveland.
Parts of I-90 in northern Indiana and I-94 in southwestern Michigan could also experience low visibilities and travel delays on Friday and Saturday.

Cool, gusty winds over the warm Great Lakes could produce whiteout conditions for drivers into the weekend.
"Snowfall amounts could reach 2 feet in some locations," Travis said. "However, it could be difficult to measure the exact accumulations due to blowing and drifting snow."
While heavy snow will fall in a narrow strip, causing treacherous travel conditions, mainly clear skies and dry roads might not be too far away.
High pressure moving into the Northeast on Sunday should help to change the wind direction and shut off the lake-effect snow. However, another storm system in the northern Plains will not be far behind, bringing the chance for more snow into the start of the workweek.